And Alice Has Made All The Difference
by manywords
Summary: How long did Alice wait in that diner before Jasper showed up? What happened while she was waiting? This is the story of the months that Alice waited for Jasper told from the perspective of Mariah, waitress in the diner. Canon, pre-Twilight.
1. Chapter 1

**And Alice Has Made All The Difference**

_8,173 words_

_PG-13 for violence_

_Author's Note: Many, many, many thanks to my beta JG Rox. My story is 100 times better because of her keen eye! The awesome rosalynn7885 made me this fantastic banner for this story. h t t p : / / bit. ly/hD2QU4 (copy and paste, then remove the spaces)_

_Of course I do not own the Twilight characters, no copyright infringement intended, etc, etc._

_Feedback greatly appreciated! I hope you enjoy this story!_

_Sincerely,_

_manywords_

**Chapter 1**

September 1948

I was pouring a cup of coffee for one of the regulars when I saw her. She was a young woman, couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen. Her short dark hair stuck out wildly. She wore a pretty blue dress that even I could tell probably cost more than I made in a year. The fabric looked like real silk. It draped elegantly over a lacy crinoline that peeked out from under the hem.

I made my way back to the counter where she had seated herself. She looked out of place sitting on the red vinyl bar stool, her posture straight and her legs primly crossed at the ankles. She looked like she should be at some fancy tea room or restaurant instead of _Frank's Diner _down on the river front.

"Can I get you something to drink, hun?" I asked.

Looking at her, I felt every bit of my fifty-three years. She was stunningly lovely with pale skin and odd, vivid amber eyes; I could see every man in the diner watching the petite beauty. I pushed away a small surge of jealousy and gave her a friendly smile.

"Thank you, but no, Mariah. I'm waiting for someone."

I started. How did she know my name? It took me a moment before I realized I was wearing a name tag. I felt myself blush. Something about this girl made me feel uncomfortable, though I couldn't put my finger on why. I probably just needed a break.

"Did you want a table for you and your friend?" I asked.

She shook her head. Her ink–colored hair bounced with the movement. Her disheveled locks made me want to grab a comb and smooth them out.

"I'll wait here. It's where he'll see me." Her expression was serene as she spoke.

I looked around the restaurant. The diner wasn't exactly huge and with the plate glass windows that served for walls on three sides there wasn't any place a person couldn't be seen from.

"You at least want a cup of coffee?" I offered, "You look a bit tired."

Dark, purplish circles ringed her lovely eyes. It looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

"No, thank you," she replied. I shrugged and wandered off to wait on my other tables.

I kept an eye on her throughout the day. After the third time she'd declined my offer of a cup of coffee or a piece of pie or a glass of water I stopped asking. She just sat on the stool at the counter and watched the front door. Every so often she would cross or uncross her ankles, but other than that she hardly moved.

I stopped in the back to sit at our break table for a few moments while Frank worked on the orders I'd just turned in. The table was covered with half–finished crossword puzzles, old shift schedules and order tickets that had been used as scrap paper. I took a sip of my coffee, then set it down on top of the mess.

"What's the story with her?" Frank asked, shrugging one beefy shoulder at the order window, his bright blue eyes intent.

"Her who?" my fellow waitress, June, asked as she plopped down beside me with a sigh. She lit a cigarette and looked over at Frank. He nodded towards the girl at the counter again.

June looked through the order window. Her drawn-on eyebrows arched in surprise. "Oooh! She's a pretty one. Short, though, isn't she?"

"She's dreamy." We all turned to look at our busboy, Felipe, whose darkly tanned arms were buried up to the elbows in suds, washing the dishes. He flipped his head back to get a lock of dark hair out of his eyes, but it fell right back in place. That boy needed a haircut, I thought.

"You think she's got a boyfriend?" Felipe asked. All three of them looked back at me.

"What, I'm the expert because I asked if she wanted coffee?" I shook my head in mock disapproval. June nodded vigorously and I couldn't help laughing. "She said she was waiting for someone. A male someone."

All three heads turned back to look at the girl, sitting quietly at our counter. She was facing away from us, eyes still fixed on the front door.

Felipe muttered something that sounded like "figures" before he turned back to the dishes. June sighed again and stood, wandering back out to clean the table of a couple that had just left. I watched her work in silence as I sipped my coffee, trying to delay having to go back out there myself.

"Time to get back to it," I grumbled. I hauled myself up out of the chair. I put my now empty coffee cup in the sink, and patted Felipe's arm in thanks. Then I picked up my tray and grabbed the burger that Frank had just plated.

I walked back out to the dining room, passing the girl on my way to deliver the food. She looked up at me as I passed. For a moment, I was certain she had heard us talking. She didn't say anything, though, but turned back to watch the door.

The day passed quietly, our regular crew of construction workers from the building going up around the corner and the men from the factory a block down jawing as usual.

The topic of the day was a series of murders that had happened in our neighborhood of Philly. Three women had been found dead in the last month. All of them had been drained of blood and – at least according to one of the less reputable newspapers – the women had been covered in bite marks. _Human_ bite marks.

It was close to sunset when my shift ended. I had stopped next to the counter to look out the window and watch the sun begin to go down. The sky was filled with pinks and golds and purples. I heard a sigh from the person next to me. I glanced over. It was the strange, quiet girl.

"Pretty, isn't it?" I said, nodding at the sunset. "Looks like the rain finally moved out."

She turned huge amber eyes up to me. It looked like she was fighting back tears, though her eyes were dry.

"He didn't come." Her high soprano voice trembled as she spoke. "I saw – I mean, I know he was supposed to be _here_, I know it. Why didn't he come?"

I wasn't entirely certain that she was speaking to me. She was looking at me, and her words seemed directed at me, but I had the feeling that she was asking herself the question.

"Maybe you got the day wrong, honey?" I suggested.

She seemed like such a sweet little thing I hated to offer my real opinion, which was that she'd been lied to by whatever man had left her hanging. I felt guilty when her face lit up at my words.

"That's it! Oh, Mariah, that must be it. I just had the wrong day. There's more than one rainy day in the fall, right?"

"Er… sure."

Still smiling, she slid gracefully off the stool. To my shock she kissed me on the cheek before heading for the door. Her lips were cool and smooth against my wrinkled skin. She moved like a ballerina, practically dancing her way across the floor. It wasn't until she was walking out the door that I realized my mouth was open. I shut it with a clack of teeth.

"See you tomorrow, Mariah!" she called over her shoulder.

I shook my head at her optimism and headed back into the kitchen to clock out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Don't be rude!" I said. "She's not making any trouble and it's not like we're so busy we need the seat."

Frank harrumphed at that, but I just raised my eyebrow and stared at him until he looked away. I turned my gaze to June, who seemed unmoved by my scolding.

"She's been here four days, Mariah. She doesn't eat a thing, she doesn't talk. I aim to find out what it is she's doing here." June pursed her lips as she thought, ruby lipstick smudging a bit in the corners. "Maybe she's in the wrong place! Why, it's our Christian duty to try and help her. What if this man she's waiting for is waiting for her, but on the other side of town?"

I rolled my eyes. "I still say you should keep your nose out of her business. She can stay there 'till judgment day as far as I'm concerned."

"_She_ can stay 'till judgment day, but you two had best get moving. Coffee don't pour itself." Frank glared at us both from under bushy grey eyebrows.

June laughed and blew him a kiss. She flounced out of the break room, blonde curls bouncing. I followed with a sigh of exasperation.

June was already standing behind the counter by the time I got out front. She had poured a cup of coffee and placed it in front of the girl. I grabbed a couple menus for the party that had just come in and went to seat them at a nearby table.

"What's your name, honey?" June asked, her eyes alight with curiosity. I, along with half the people in the diner, tried to pretend I wasn't eavesdropping.

The girl turned those intense golden eyes on June. She paused a moment, as if deciding whether or not to answer.

"Alice." Her voice had a lilt to it, as if she were asking June instead of telling her.

"Nice to meet'cha. I'm June. You know Mariah over there. I noticed, well we all noticed, that you've been in here a couple days now..." June paused, waiting for a response. Alice just looked at her. June fidgeted, twisting her apron with one hand. "Well, we were worried that you were waiting for this fella who hasn't come in a couple days. Are you sure you've got the right place?"

"I'm quite sure." Alice's voice was even, but I would have bet good money that she was trying to suppress laughter. Her eyes twinkled and one corner of her mouth twitched as if she was holding back a smile.

"Do you want to try and call him? What's his name, honey?" June's face was expectant. She was doomed to disappointment, though, as Alice merely shook her head.

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" June added, "Maybe we can find him for you?"

"No, you can't. But, he'll be here," Alice said confidently in her clear, high voice. "Thank you, though."

June wasn't the only one disappointed by Alice's response. More than one of our regular guys had gotten a similarly polite brush off when they'd tried to chat her up or get her to notice them. For a while there was a spree of foolish behavior – boys clowning around trying to get the girl to notice them. But she ignored them completely, as if they weren't even there. Those brave enough to ask her out were all given the same polite dismissal.

It went on like that for a while. Alice'd talk to us a bit, though every so often you could tell her mind was miles from where her body was. Folks were getting used to her and she was no longer the subject of curious stares, at least not from the regulars.

Of course, June hadn't given up on finding more out about Alice. It was actually funny watching June trying to wheedle the information out of her. Whenever Alice didn't want to answer a question she'd just stare at June in silence, and then turn her head away to watch the door once again.

Alice came in nearly every day. Occasionally, she would disappear for a day or two. Once she was gone a whole week. I started to notice that the days she was gone were the ones where the sun shone brightly; most of the days that she ended up perched on her stool – I'd started to think of it as Alice's stool – were dreary or gray. I thought it was odd, but I didn't ask why. Maybe she just liked being outside when the weather was nice. Besides, it was none of my business.

Felipe was still enamored with her. She'd say a few words in that Puerto Rican speak of his and his face would light right up. Even Frank had started saying good morning to her when she was in. Gruffly, of course– as if he knew any other way of speaking to a person. But it made me grin when I heard him grumble, "Morning, Miss Alice".

She would smile her sunny smile at him and then her head would swivel back to look at the door. I tell you, I'd seen German Shepherds with less dedication. I found myself getting angry at this man she was waiting for. Alice had never told us anything more about him, so I still didn't know if it was a lover or a family member she was waiting on. But what sort of man would make a woman wait so long for him? I counted the weeks back in my head. A little over two months since the first day she'd come into the diner.

It was getting on to Halloween. Frank had pulled out the decorations. June and I were putting up paper skeletons and ghosts when I saw Alice watching us, a wistful expression on her face.

"June," I said loudly, "I tell you, my old bones just can't take all this reaching and decorating anymore."

June looked at me in surprise. Decorating for the holidays was one of my favorite things to do. I always said that, since I didn't have family to decorate for at home, at least I got to do it here.

I looked around the diner, my gaze sliding across several customers before landing on Alice. "Young lady, if you're not going to buy anything you should at least make yourself useful."

Alice's expression was one of shock and I had to keep myself from chuckling.

"Are you sure, Mariah?" she asked.

I marched over to her and held out the black and orange streamers I'd been about to hang. She took them gingerly, holding on to the very edge of them. She looked down at the streamers and then up at me. Her topaz eyes sparkled with excitement.

"It will look absolutely lovely," she promised. "Don't worry a bit!"

She went through the box of decorations like a fiend. Before long, she'd enlisted Felipe to help reach the places she wasn't tall enough to get to. Once the two of them were done, the diner looked like an October wonderland. White lights that we usually saved for Christmas were strung along the top of the windows and the wall behind the diner counter, intricately twisted with the orange and black crepe paper streamers. Paper skeletons danced along the front windows and Alice had fashioned little ghosts out of napkins to put on each of the tables.

Alice stood in the middle of the restaurant and turned in a circle, surveying her work.

"Take a bow, Miss Alice," Frank called from behind the order window.

She grabbed Felipe's hand and they both bowed. June, a couple of customers and I all clapped for them. I saw Felipe wince when she let go of him, rubbing his hand with the other like he was cold.

It was wonderful seeing Alice enjoy herself. She had gone for more than an hour without looking at the door once. I decided we'd have to find more holidays to celebrate just so Alice would have something to make her smile like this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I was sitting up at the counter next to Alice. It had been a busy day today and I was grateful for the chance to put my feet up. We were quiet – she watched the door, I looked out the window. This was one of the things I really liked about Alice – she had a stillness about her. A body could just sit, without having to be conversational.

It was half an hour to closing time. Frank was already shutting down the grill and Felipe had started to put up some of the chairs. The bell over the door tinkled and a man walked in. I sighed, but slid off the stool and went to greet him, bringing a menu with me.

"We were just getting ready to close, so there's not a lot we can get for you that's hot," I said as I led him to a booth.

He had short brown hair and coffee–brown eyes. He didn't look directly at me, but something about him made goose bumps raise up on my arms. I ignored it. I'd been waitressing a long time, and some folk just rubbed me wrong like that. Didn't mean anything.

He ordered a meatloaf sandwich. When I came back to give it to him, he was staring at Alice. I wasn't surprised – a lot of guys had that reaction to her.

"Who is she?" the man at the table hissed.

"Just a customer," I said. I put his check on the table. "You let me know if I can get you anything else."

He grabbed my wrist in a painful hold. "I asked you a question, woman. Who is she?"

"Let go of me," I said sternly. I glared at him and tried to tug my arm free. "Listen, mister, you let go of me now or I holler for help. Frank keeps a 12 gauge in the back and I'm sure he'd love to introduce you to it."

"Miss Mariah?" Felipe was looking over at us from where he'd been filling salt shakers. The man let go of my arm and picked up his sandwich, but his gaze lingered on Alice. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Felipe." I rubbed my wrist. "Thanks."

* * *

I had gotten all the way to the Woolworths three blocks away from home when I realized I'd left my purse at the diner. I paused on the corner, staring blindly at the store display while I deliberated. I wasn't scheduled on tomorrow. I could always get up early and go get my purse. But then I'd have to go in and if June or Sally didn't come in I knew I'd be suckered in to working. With a sigh I headed back to the diner.

I was halfway through the back door of the diner when something heavy pushed me from behind. I fell, landing hard on my hands and knees. The door slammed heavily behind me. Before I could get up, fire ripped through my side. I looked down to see one of our kitchen knives sticking out of my abdomen. I couldn't get my head around what it was doing there, or reconcile it with the burning pain.

My attacker grabbed my shoulder and twisted me around so I was lying on my back. I looked up to see the man who'd ordered the meatloaf sandwich. His eyes were wild and his lips were twisted. I couldn't tell if it was a smile or a grimace.

He knelt next to me and leaned across me to take hold of the knife. He jerked it out of me and I screamed. He pressed the knife against my throat. I wanted to scream again, but I couldn't move, even to breathe.

Blood spurted from my side and I could feel it drip down my ribcage in warm rivulets. The man moved his gaze from my face to the hole he'd carved in me. He stared, fascinated and reached out a hand to touch my wound. I squirmed away from him, but he lunged forward and snagged me by the hair, pulling me back. I could see the knife out of the corner of my eye, clutched in his fist. Then he leaned down and fastened his mouth over the hole in my side, lapping at the blood, one hand still tangled in my hair. It felt so bizarre, even through the burning pain.

It took me a minute to gather my wits, but once I did I tried to fight him off. I pulled his hair and tried to kick him. He balled up his fist and punched me. Stars exploded in front of my eyes. I screamed, calling for help. Maybe someone passing by the diner would hear me. The man laughed.

"Do it again!" he cried, as if I had done a magic trick for him.

"Let her go, _hijoeputa_!"

Out of nowhere, Felipe came up behind the man. He had a broom in his hands and he brought it down on the man's head with a hard crack, splintering the handle. The man turned from me with a roar. He lunged at Felipe and they went down in a tangle of arms and legs. I couldn't see what was happening; my side hurt so much, I couldn't sit up to see.

It sounded like they were still fighting. Felipe was snarling in Puerto Rican. The man who'd attacked me was hollering in pain. Then there was a loud crash. Dishes clattered to the floor near my head. A soup ladle landed next to me. I stretched my fingers out, trying to ignore the pain, and wrapped my fingers around the handle. Not much of a weapon, but more than I'd had before.

By the time I'm managed to grab hold of the ladle, panting from the effort, the sounds of fighting had stopped. Things were nearly silent except for my heavy breathing, reverberating in my ears.

"Felipe?" I called.

I tried to sit up, propping myself up on one elbow. My vision dimmed from the pain and I bit my lip, trying to hold back a moan. I kept hold of the ladle, squeezing the aluminum handle like a talisman.

"He's not here anymore."

The man's voice was gleeful. He leaned over me. He smiled and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"I killed him. You see, I'm getting stronger. Maybe you were the key to my immortality all along!"

Using the last of my strength I brought the ladle up and smashed it across the man's face. He made a strange, keening cry.

"You hit me!" he whined, clutching his hand over the spot the ladle had hit. He had a small cut on his temple. At least I'd hurt him a little. "Why did you hit me? I'll make you pay for it, you old goat!"

He wrenched the ladle out of my hand and slammed it into the knife wound on my side. He raised his arm back for another blow when a pale blur barreled into him. He landed hard on the ground.

"Mariah! Mariah, can you hear me?"

The high pitched voice was frantic. The man no longer loomed over me. He had been replaced by a small figure with cold, cold hands that she placed on my face. I felt I should know this person, but my brain didn't seem to want to bring the name to mind.

"I didn't _see_ it, not soon enough. Mariah, are you alright?"

The voice was distressed. Her name drifted into my head. I whispered it, "Alice."

She sat me up, leaning me against the oven door. I slumped there as she went over to Felipe's prone form. Despair gripped me, thinking that Felipe was dead. That boy had saved my life. She picked him up and it took me a moment to realize why that looked so wrong. Felipe was not overly large for his age, but he wasn't small, either. Alice was tiny for an adult, and she was lifting him up as if he didn't weigh more than a feather.

To add to the sense of wrongness, her eyes were not the golden brown I had gotten used to. They were dark brown, closer to black than brown. She set him down next to me. Felipe stirred, mumbling something. I was so relieved when he opened his eyes that I nearly wept. Thank God he was alive.

Alice backed up a few steps. She watched us, her dark eyes wide and intense. She crouched low to the ground. Her teeth glistened in the low light. She looked ready to pounce on us at any second. A shiver wracked me as I realized why she'd never seemed quite right. She wasn't human.

I stared at Alice. Terror paralyzed me. I knew she had saved my life, but I was even more frightened of her than I was the man she had saved me from. As if my thought had resurrected him, the man stood up behind Alice. His arm hung at an odd angle and his face was turning purple, probably from where I'd hit him with the ladle.

Alice swiveled around, still crouched low, and growled – actually growled, like some sort of dog. Her hands were curled into claws and I knew she was preparing to defend us.

"You're one of _them_," he breathed. He made some sort of gesture, almost like he was about to cross himself. "I've been doing what they told me, to be one of you. I've been working real hard."

Alice stared at him, her head cocked to the side in puzzlement. The man looked proud, as if he were a lapdog waiting to be praised for doing a trick.

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"They told me – the cold, beautiful ones. They said if I drank human blood, like you do, that I'd be just like you. All I had to do was drink enough of it. It made me sick at first, I couldn't drink all of it. But I'm getting better. I can drink more now." He pushed a lock of hair out of his face, smoothing it back into place, and smiled at her. "Soon I'll drink enough and I'll be like you."

"Like me? A vam –" she broke off, glancing back at me and Felipe. Her gaze turned back to the man and I shivered as her voice became cold and hard. "That's not how it works, you know. One of _us_ has to bite _you_. Whoever told you that claptrap was playing with you."

"No." He shook his head wildly. "You're lying. No!"

She simply stared at him. I watched his expression slide from skepticism to horror.

"Then do it. Make me immortal like you!" he shouted. "Bite me!"

"I don't bite humans," she shrugged. "And even if I did, you're a monster and I would never turn you."

The man let out a wordless shriek and rushed toward Alice. I don't know whether he thought he'd provoke her or if he was trying to hurt her, but he didn't get more than a foot closer before she was there, intercepting him. She grabbed him by the throat and tossed him across the kitchen.

He wheeled his arms, trying to stay vertical. His head slammed against the stove and caught the corner. The sharp metal sliced into his head and blood spurted. Alice's eyes widened and she took a trembling step forward, then another.

"Oh, God. The blood," she whispered.

An instant later she was at his side. She leaned her head over his and buried her face in his neck. For a moment I couldn't understand, didn't want to understand. Then I heard a wet sucking sound and I realized that she was drinking from him. He screamed, but it wasn't a sound of pain, at least not at first. At first he held her to him. Then, when she didn't stop, didn't let go, he started to claw at her head. He pulled her hair and began to thrash, but she didn't so much as sway. His screams faded to little mewls of terror, then stopped altogether.

My stomach heaved. I leaned over, away from Felipe, and wretched. My side screamed in pain with each contraction of my stomach muscles, but I couldn't stop it. When I was done Felipe helped me sit up. I looked across the kitchen.

Alice was crouched over my attacker's body. Her eyes were a terrifying scarlet red and smears of blood covered her mouth and clothing. Felipe pulled me behind him and, I'm ashamed to say, I let him. I had never been so terrified in my life. Were we going to be next? Drained of blood, just to satisfy this monster?

Her gaze narrowed and focused on my side. Blood was dripping down it at a steady rate, made worse by the muscle spasms of my vomiting. Alice took a step towards me, a dreadful hunger in her crimson eyes. I whimpered.

"Alice, _caro_, it's OK." Felipe lurched to his feet to stand between me and Alice. He held his hands up, palms out. He kept his voice even. "Calm down. It's Miss Mariah and Felipe. You know us, from the diner. We're your friends."

She shook her head, not in negation, but as if she was trying to clear it.

"I'm sorry. I – I can't. I have to go." Her words came out tight and strangled, as if each one was an effort.

Then she turned and ran, faster than I've ever seen anything move in my life. She was gone and Felipe and I were left with the body of the man who'd tried to kill me.

I looked at the man's body and felt ashamed. Alice had saved our lives. Whatever she was, whatever kind of monster, she hadn't hurt us. I tried to get up but Felipe pushed me back down. He grabbed a couple of clean towels and made a compress to hold to the wound in my side.

We tried to figure out what to do with the body. Felipe thought we should call the police. I argued that we wouldn't be able to explain how my attacker had gotten bite marks in his throat and been drained of blood, not without being sent to the loony bin or getting arrested as murderers. Eventually I won out. Felipe took the body – I told him to dump it in the Delaware River, but he never did say what exactly he did with it.

While he was gone, I crawled to the phone on the table and called the police. They came quickly. I told them that Felipe had walked me back to get my purse when we interrupted a robbery. Felipe had "chased off" the robbers, but not before they stabbed me.

The police had called Frank and he came in. I was glad he was there to speak for Felipe, because the police seemed to think I was covering for him. They didn't believe that I would trust a Puerto Rican boy to walk me home, and there was a lot of blood on the floor that hadn't come from me. I was grateful when the ambulance got there. The ambulance driver shooed the policemen away and put me on a gurney. He went off to radio back to the hospital.

I lay on the gurney, waiting for them to load me into the ambulance. I clutched Felipe's hand like it was a lifeline.

"You saved my life tonight. How did you know? What were you doing there, Felipe?" I asked. He looked embarrassed, but I kept my eyes on his, waiting for his answer.

"I sleep in the stockroom some nights." He looked away from me. "Just when I can't stay at a friend's place or something."

"You don't have a place to stay?" I was appalled. "But where do you live?"

I wanted to ask more, to demand that he tell me who was taking care of him, but the driver came back then and put me into the ambulance. I watched Felipe through the ambulance windows as we sped away. His shoulders were hunched over and his face sad. He raised his hand and waved.

* * *

The next day was sunny as I walked slowly to the diner. June and Frank had both told me I was crazy for coming in, but I couldn't sit at home. The doctor had said that the knife hadn't done any serious damage and had given me some pills for the pain. The pills I threw away. The pain wasn't so bad, as long as I moved slow. Besides, I needed to see if _she_ was there. All day I waited, but she didn't show up.

I looked out the plate glass window at the clear blue sky with frustration. I wasn't sure if I was grateful or worried that Alice didn't come. Now that I knew what she was, I understood why it was only the overcast days we saw her. At least, it made sense if the stories were true about her kind and sunlight. But I wanted to see her again, in the light of day, to see if she really was the creature I remembered from the night before.

Felipe came in at three for his shift. I let out a gusty sigh of relief when he walked into the back room. He didn't look at me at first, just punched in and slipped his apron over his head. After that, he came over and looked down at me, dark eyes wary.

"Is she here Miss Mariah?" he finally asked. He met my eyes with an odd air of defiance.

"No, Felipe." Guilt washed through me as his face crumpled. I couldn't help offering, "It's sunny, though."

He paused a moment, then nodded. His face brightened. He crouched down by the table as he headed into the kitchen.

"Are you ok, Miss Mariah?" he asked kindly. His hair flopped into his eyes and I had to stop from brushing it back.

"Yes, I'm alright. Thank you, Felipe." I hoped he understood I meant it for more than just asking. "I'm sure she'll be back when it rains."

"Then I'll pray to _Madre de Dios_ that it rains soon." He patted my hand and went into the dining room to begin his shift.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

We had six more days of beautiful weather. Felipe and I must have been the only people in Philadelphia cursing the Indian summer. The seventh morning, I woke up to the sound of rain pattering against the window and smiled. I practically bounced down the stairs, as much as a woman of fifty-three can bounce.

I found myself dressing carefully, picking out a nicer dress than usual and putting on my real silk stockings. I knew it was silly. It wasn't like Alice would care what I wore. I never could match her for elegant clothing anyway. I don't think she shopped at places like Woolworths or Montgomery Wards. But I wanted to look presentable, so I gussied myself up a bit.

The walk to the diner seemed longer than normal. I kept my pace as brisk as my healing injury allowed, not even slowing to gaze in the windows of the department stores I passed every morning. The rain pattered lightly against my rain bonnet and coat. The sky was dark and covered with low, grey clouds. Definitely a storm later, I thought with satisfaction.

I met Felipe at the corner near the diner. He'd been leaning against a lamppost, waiting for me, I supposed. His clothes were spattered with dark blotches where the rain had soaked through.

"It didn't feel right going in without you, Miss Mariah." He smiled brightly, teeth flashing white against his olive skin. "Do you think _she'll_ come in today?"

"It's silly to think she would. But I hope so, Felipe. I hope so." I gazed at the place I'd worked for the last twenty some–odd years, trying to see through the wall to the dining area. "Only one way to find out."

Felipe went to the heavy metal door that led in to the back room. He held it open for me. I smiled at him, charmed by the courtly gesture.

"You're a good boy, Felipe. I just want you to know that. I never… I never thanked you for what you did that night." His dark eyes were serious. I held his gaze, though I desperately wanted to look away. "I would have been dead or maybe w– worse if you hadn't distracted him. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said.

I patted him on the cheek and walked into the diner. We clocked in and separated to get ready.

Frank was at the grill already. I watched him prep it as I wrapped my apron around my waist and tied the strings. I slid my order pad in my apron and stuck a pencil behind my ear. I felt as if I were arming myself for battle.

Felipe had already started the coffee maker and was sweeping out the kitchen. I saw him hesitate before heading in to the dining area to sweep up and pull down the chairs. The opening chores seemed to go quickly and I found myself fidgeting, waiting for six o'clock to arrive. June rushed in at quarter till, running late as usual. Finally I heard Frank holler, "Doors are opening, folks."

I smoothed my skirt and my apron and headed into the dining room.

* * *

I don't know how she did it, but she was sitting on her stool at the counter when I walked into the dining room. Like any other day, she was staring at the front door. She looked up at me when I entered and I was relieved to see her eyes were back to their normal amber. I was afraid they'd still be that ruby color they'd turned that night, the one I'd see in my nightmares for years to come.

"Good morning, Alice," I said. I hung back a little, not sure what to say now that she was actually here. I carefully examined her face, trying to reconcile the quiet girl I thought I'd known with the monster of a week ago.

"Good morning, Mariah," she replied. As if it were any other day she simply turned back to door, waiting. I shook my head, but smiled. I let out a long breath, not realizing I'd been holding it. I guess things would just go back to normal.

It was lunch time when I next had time stop for a moment. I poured a cup of coffee and sat it next to Alice. She turned to smile at me and I smiled back tentatively. I was trying to think how to broach the subject of what happened last week when an odd expression crossed her face. She wrinkled her nose and took in a sharp breath. Her eyes widened and she spun around to face the door.

A tall man had just walked in. He looked around Alice's age, maybe a year or two older. He was very handsome. His skin was quite pale and his eyes were a dark brown or black – I couldn't tell from this distance. Dark purple circles under his eyes made it look like he hadn't slept in a week. They matched the ones under Alice's eyes.

His damp, curly blond hair was so long it fell over his ears and his collar, but the disheveled hairstyle seemed appealing on this man. He had on a suit that had seen a few years' wear. He seemed nervous, tensed as if he expected someone to chase him off with a broom. His gaze swept the diner then landed on Alice.

"He's here!" Alice whispered fiercely.

He? It took me a long moment to remember that one of the first things she'd said to me was that she was waiting for someone. She hopped gracefully down from her stool and walked right up to the man.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," she said.

The tall man ducked his head. He made a move as if to remove a hat, but he didn't have one on.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," he replied. He had a gentle southern drawl. I'd never been further south than Maryland, so I couldn't place it.

Alice held out her hand to the man. For a long moment he just stared at it. I held my breath, waiting to see what he'd do. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Felipe frozen in the act of clearing a table, a water glass in his hand. He stared at the couple as openly as I did.

Finally, moving slowly, as if he expected Alice to bite him if he moved too quickly, he took her hand. She smiled that dazzling smile at him and you could almost see him fall under her spell.

They stood like that for a long time, not speaking, not moving. I knew it was crazy, but I could have sworn I _felt_ this amazing sense of happiness coming from them. It washed over me and I couldn't stop from grinning. I didn't move until June bumped into me from behind.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Mariah?" she demanded.

The young waitress looked up at me and saw where I was looking. She froze, staring as well. Her eyes were big as saucers. I was pretty certain mine were just as wide. I cleared my throat and started moving. I grabbed two menus off the stack and headed for Alice and the man.

"Can I get you two a table?" I asked, putting a slight emphasis on the word two. Alice didn't look away from him.

"No, thank you, Mariah. I think we'll be heading home." The man's expression changed to puzzlement, but he didn't argue.

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question but she nodded in answer anyway. I blinked back sudden tears. "But I never got to say anything, to thank you for –"

"It's alright," she said. Her smile dimmed slightly. "Just take care of yourself. Take care of Felipe for me, too, will you? He's going to be something special."

She slipped her arm through the man's. They turned together and walked out into the rain. Their gazes never left each others' faces. Felipe came up to stand behind me. He put a hand on my shoulder.

We waited there together for a long moment, until I could no longer see them through the plate glass of the diner's window.

"Do you think he's… like her?" Felipe asked quietly.

"Yes, I do, Felipe." I sniffed a little and dabbed at my eyes with the corner of my apron.

I was grateful for Felipe's hand on my shoulder. One person, at least, would remember her the same way I would. Which reminded me...

"Felipe, I wanted to talk to you. Since… that night… I haven't been able to do some of the chores around the house. In fact, it's been a while since I've been able to clean the gutters or fix a few other things. I could really use someone around the house to help out." His face was puzzled. "I wouldn't be able to pay you – I'm barely covering the mortgage right now as it is. But I would be able to give you room and board."

He frowned, dark eyebrows forming a 'v' over his eyes.

"I don't need charity, Miss Mariah." He was angry.

"I'm not offering charity. I'm asking for help." I waited silently as he thought for a long moment, his expression frozen in a scowl."Hell, I'm probably asking you for charity, asking you to move in with a crotchety old woman like me. I'll run you ragged with all the handyman stuff I need, plus your school work."

He smiled reluctantly, eyes still betraying his doubt. I waited, holding my breath. I really didn't know what he'd say. I couldn't believe how much I wanted him to say yes. To have someone to care about, after all these years. Someone that had gone through that crazy night with me, someone who knew that there was someone like Alice out there. Someone that Alice thought was important, just like I did.

"Alright," he said at last. "_A pues bien. _But I'll earn my keep."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."


	5. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Philadelphia 1958

I teared up, watching Felipe throw his cap in the air. Thanks to winning a full-ride scholarship from the Pacific Northwest Trust, he'd just gotten his medical degree. I couldn't help but think of the scrawny busboy he'd been when we first met.

I remembered the day I'd asked him to move in with me. It was, what, nine or ten years ago now? My joints were creaking as I stood and made my way down the auditorium steps to reach the boy – no, man – who had become a son to me.

His fiancée was a step behind me. When we reached him he threw his arms around both of us.

"How are my girls?" he asked. Janice beamed up at him. I smiled just as broadly.

"We're so proud of you, Felipe." I couldn't help sniffling a little. "You've done well for yourself."

"All thanks to you, _Mamita_," he said, kissing me on my cheek.

The three of us started walking toward the exit, moving together like some six-legged beast. Janice was talking a mile a minute and Felipe was listening with a smile on his face when I caught sight of her. I stopped in my tracks.

"What is it, Mariah?" Felipe asked. His dark eyes looked down at me with concern.

"I think I saw someone I know. You go on, I'm going to go say hello." He gave me a dubious look, but I waved him off. "I'll meet you at the car in a few minutes."

She sat in the front row of the quickly emptying auditorium. Sitting behind her was the tall man from the diner and another couple, a stunning blond woman dressed like something out of _Harper's_ or _Vogue_ and a big bear of a man. All of them had the same amber eyes, pale skin and dark circles under their eyes that Alice did. The three others were talking, but she was just watching me.

I walked over. If I'd ever doubted my memories of her – of that night – her appearance here banished that doubt. She hadn't changed at all. Her hair was still short with black spikes sticking out at all angles. Her face was unlined and her eyes were that same astonishing golden brown. I self-consciously touched my own face, even more wrinkled now than when I'd first met her.

"He's going to be a doctor," I said.

She smiled. The others stopped talking and stared at me. I felt somewhat like a bug trapped under a microscope with their stares on me, but I tried to ignore them and focus on her.

"I told you he'd be something special."

"I'm glad you came. I suppose you're living somewhere in the northwest these days?" I raised an eyebrow.

She laughed. It was like crystals tinkling, and I noticed a few heads around us turn to look.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"There aren't exactly a lot of full scholarships that go looking for poor Puerto Rican kids. I had the feeling that it had something to do with you. But since I could never afford to send him to this place on my own, I figured I wouldn't argue."

She laughed again.

"It's time to go, Alice," the bombshell blond said.

She was leaving already? I felt the words that had been locked up for ten years welling up out of me.

"Thank you for what you did, Alice. You changed my life. You did more than just save my life that night." I looked over to the door Felipe had gone through a few minutes ago. "You gave me a family. I hope life has been as good to you."

"It has." She smiled fondly at the tall man. They shared a look so full of love I felt myself blush at its intensity. "I got my family, too."

She stood up and came down the steps to stand face to face with me. She was still as short as I remembered. She embraced me gently, and I felt again the icy cold of her skin.

She turned away and hurried back to the others, joining them as they walked away from me. Just before they left through the back exit, Alice turned again and waved. I waved back.

I wondered what my life would be like today if it hadn't been for her, if I'd even have been alive. Truly, Alice had made all the difference.


	6. Outtake

**A/N This scene just didn't work in the story, so I cut it out. But when I was reading through some of my old notes in prep for the new story on which I'm working I came across it and thought some of you might be interested in it. I hope you enjoy it. **

I wondered which one of the boys would be the first to ignore her brush off. For the most part we had nice guys, but when you get factory and construction types, there's bound to be at least one or two with more lead in their head than in their hammer.

Sure enough, midway through the second week Pete Bennett decided to try his luck with her. I was behind the counter, rolling up silverware and wondering when I'd be able to get off my feet for a few minutes, when he sidled up to her. His wheat blond hair was slicked back and he had on a nice white shirt instead of his usual overalls.

"Miss Alice, I think you're real sweet looking and I'm real stuck on you. Go out with me." He smiled at her.

"Thank you, no." Alice turned away from him.

He grabbed for her arm. I must have blinked because one moment she was on the stool, watching the door, and the next she was standing behind Pete. He turned around, trying to figure out where she had gone to. When he saw her standing behind him he let out a loud guffaw.

"Spry little thing, ain'tcha." He smiled broadly. White teeth flashed in his tanned face. "Come on, sugar. I'll treat you better than some schmoe who's kept you waiting all this time."

Alice stood in front of him. She barely came up to his shoulder. My shoulders knotted watching them. I walked over to where Felipe was cleaning off a table.

"Felipe," I leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I think you need to get Frank out here. Quick now."

She looked Pete directly in the eyes and said "no" firmly and loudly.

"Looks like she gave you the high hat there Pete!" One of the guys called out. Pete's face flushed red.

"What, you think you're too good for me?" Pete asked. She moved to go around him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. In a flash she had twisted around and had Pete's arm bent behind him at an awkward angle.

"I said no," she hissed at him. Her eyes were dark and I shivered.

"You broke my arm, you bitch!" Pete hollered. He lunged again for Alice, tackling her.

For half a moment Alice didn't move. Then she looked over at me and fell down. If I hadn't been watching her so closely I wouldn't have noticed the hesitation between Pete knocking into her and her fall. Her skirt ripped as she fell, leaving a wide gash that exposed a pale, white thigh.

"Get the hell off of her!" Frank came roaring out of the kitchen. Frank wrapped his massive arms around Pete and lifted him bodily off the ground. Pete scrabbled at Frank with his good arm. I knelt by Alice. She seemed unhurt, but she seemed even paler than normal and her hands were chilled. I chafed them between my hands, trying to warm them.

We watched as Frank dragged Pete out of the diner and tossed him onto the sidewalk. I helped Alice to her feet. Her beautiful dress was ruined. I pulled off my apron.

"Here, wear this. It'll cover up that tear until you can get home." She smiled at me and put it on. The stained cotton apron looked out of place against the blue silk she was wearing, but I figured it was better than walking home with a tear that exposed her whole leg.

Frank came back in and came to face her.

"Sorry 'bout that Miss Alice. It won't happen again." He turned his piercing blue eyes on the rest of our patrons. "Will it, boys?"

The other fellows at the lunch counter immediately agreed. They looked as shocked at the sudden violence as I felt.

"I'll have Felipe walk you home, if you want," Frank offered. Alice looked out the window at where Pete was just picking himself up, sunlight glinting off his blond hair.

"Actually, can I have a cup of coffee?" We all stared for a minute. In the two weeks that she'd been coming in she hadn't had so much as a glass of water.

"'Course you can. On the house." He nodded and headed back to the kitchen. I hurried to grab a cup and pour her the requested coffee.


End file.
